Sunday: baby surprise

Last night Yellow died, and this morning I-Don't-Know died.  I think that the flow at the top of the aquarium was too strong and they weren't smart enough to go to the bottom.

After church we went to get more fish.  With the bigger tank and the filters, I figured we could get four fish, one for each of us.  We got them and I put the little bag in the tank to get the water to match temperatures while we ate lunch.  (I'm claiming the fancy tailed one and naming him Pumpkin.)

After lunch Isaac said, "Mom, there are baby fish!"  To which I replied, "They're just small, not babies."  Well, when I went over to the tank sure enough, there were baby fish.  Apparently I-Don't-Know (version 2) is a female.  I am pretty sure that I only requested males, but either the wrong type of fish was chosen or I can't read or there was a female in with the males.

I took out all the baby fish after an internet search because apparently the bigger fish sometimes eat them and they need to be fed more often.  I ended up with nine.  (There are also two more hiding in the big tank that are either really good at hiding or came later.)  Ok, baby fish are cool.  It could be cool to see them grow.  After a week or two I'll stick them back with the adults and let them fend for themselves.

Then I read something a bit more distressing...females are on a continuous child-birth cycle, having children about once a month, and can store sperm for several months.  I'm a bit unsure what to do now.  If it was my fish or Ben's fish, we would probably not keep it for every long.  I could keep my eye out for a similar colored male fish and switch them when Joshua isn't paying attention.  I could run two tanks with I-Don't-Know in her own and just getting rid of the babies.  I also don't really know what to do with the babies as they get bigger, assuming all these fish live.  The tank I got isn't really good for more than four fish.  So stay tuned...I could see this saga going several different directions.  (Also, does anyone want some fish?)

In other news, I was drying some large quilts/mattress covers on the chairs last night and woke up to a fort made under the table.  It came complete with a pretend fire.  I added a heater and yogurt smores.

Of course, they're sleeping under the table tonight.  It doesn't seem like a good idea, but it also didn't seem like a bad enough of an idea to say no.  I think it would be terribly uncomfortable, but they're also much younger and don't seem to care about such things.